


Reactions

by yeaka



Category: TOLKIEN J. R. R. - Works & Related Fandoms, The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Established Relationship, Ficlet, M/M, Mpreg, Trans Male Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-28
Updated: 2015-04-28
Packaged: 2018-03-26 06:08:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3839968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yeaka/pseuds/yeaka
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dwalin and Ori break the good news to their brothers.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Reactions

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Fill for anon’s “Dwalin and Ori are expecting their first child. Balin can't be prouder. Dori is thrilled. Nori has a meltdown” prompt on [The Hobbit Kink Meme](http://hobbit-kink.livejournal.com/11476.html?thread=24102356#t24102356).
> 
> Disclaimer: I don’t own The Hobbit or any of its contents, and I’m not making any money off this.

Dori _cries_. Ori should’ve expected it, really. Dori’s always been beyond a good brother to him: an educator, a protector, a best friend, all in one, and no one’s ever loved him as much as Dori has—not even Dwalin, although that’s only because Dwalin’s a mere mortal and, when it comes to Ori, at least, Dori’s _insane_. He blubbers for several minutes straight, while Ori sits next to him on the sofa and Dwalin awkwardly perches in a chair across the way. Nori gets up and leaves, which Ori will deal with later—right now he’s busy patting Dori on the back and wondering what to say.

“It’ll be beautiful,” Dori finally manages to profess between sobs. “Absolutely beautiful! And the absolute best this world could see. Between such a noble father and the purest, sweetest mother—”

“Father,” Ori corrects, and Dori looks horror stricken for half a second, as though petrified at the thought of hurting his precious baby brother—who’s really not such a baby anymore.

“Of course, dear me, I am sorry! How could I forget? You’ve scrambled my poor old brain with this good news!” Thrusting his arm out to the side, Dori puts his hand squarely on Ori’s round stomach, which is only slightly bigger than usual; it’s early. “I am going to be the perfect uncle, I promise you, little one!” 

“They can’t hear you yet,” Ori laughs. Dori doesn’t look in the least bit discouraged. He sniffs, retracts his hand to wipe at his eyes, looks at Ori, and then his bottom lip starts to tremble all over again.

“I can’t wait, you know. You were so cute when you were little. I hope it looks just like you.”

“That makes two of us,” Dwalin grunts, finally having something to contribute to the conversation. Dori smiles at him, all heart, even though when Ori first married Dwalin, Dori threatened him at sword point to stay on his toes. 

Dwalin had just as fiercely insisted he’d always treat Ori right, and to this day, he has. Ori’s thoroughly looking forward to raising a child with him, although, evidently, not quite so much as Dori.

While Dori sniffles and stares down at Ori’s fat stomach, Ori takes the pause to gently explain, “I’m sorry, but we have a lot of people we wanted to tell today...”

“Of course, of course,” Dori says, shaking his head. “The first child of the heroes of Erebor—the whole mountain will want to know! Have you told Thorin yet? You must have him bless the baby!”

“Perhaps when there’s actually a baby to bless,” Ori chuckles, “But we were going to start with Balin first.”

Dori nods like he understands. Then he thrusts out his arms: the usual invitation for a hug. But before Ori can embrace him back, Dori quickly redraws himself and chirps, “Dear me, what am I thinking? Mustn’t crush the baby!”

Getting up from the sofa, he straightens himself out and announces, “I’ll have tea and biscuits for when you come back—you’ll be all taken care off!” and he flitters off before Ori can say that that isn’t necessary, because he already has Dwalin to do that.

* * *

Balin doesn’t quite _sob_ the way Dori did, but his eyes do get a bit watery around the edges. Dwalin pats his shoulder, smiling just as wide, and Balin sighs, “I couldn’t be prouder.”

He says it like it’s some great deed. It isn’t, really, but children are rare for dwarves, and of course it’s always good for them all to perpetuate their race. Ori doesn’t mention any of this, just takes Dwalin’s praise from the other side of the desk in the library, while Dwalin and Balin pat each other’s backs. “You picked a good one,” Balin says, with a twinkle in his eye, and Dwalin looks at Ori with a wash of utter adoration on his face.

“I consider myself fairly lucky too,” Ori pitches in, to which Balin laughs and shakes his head. 

“You’ll be good parents,” Balin insists. “Both of you. If anyone’s lucky, it’ll be that child.”

“I hope so,” Dwalin mutters. Even with such a small, innocuous statement, Ori hears the worry in his voice. Ori reaches across the table to put his hand over Dwalin’s, and Dwalin softens at it, looking at the contact.

Balin must hear the doubt too, because he answers softly, “You will be a good father, Dwalin. You might be a little rough around the edges, but you have Ori to balance you out, and you’re a good, kind person under all that toughness. You have a good heart. You’ve been a good brother, a good husband, and you’ll do just as well as a father.”

“If our baby turns out anything like me, they’ll love you,” Ori adds, never having doubted it for a second. Dwalin can be gruff at times, but his heart is enormous, and the mere thought of their child in his warm arms is enough to make Ori melt. 

“In any case,” Balin says, sniffling once, “That baby will certainly have more loving uncles than they’ll know what to do with.”

That’s more than true. Balin and Dwalin affectionately bump heads before Ori and Dwalin make their leave, having one more blood-uncle to talk to before they start on all the honorary ones.

* * *

They find Nori pacing frantically about his room. It isn’t at all what Ori expected—he knew Dori would lose his mind, yes, but Nori? Nori simply doesn’t _get_ riled up—he’s too slippery to get pinned down under trouble. 

And this should be good news. But Nori only stops pacing to look at them with wild eyes, leaving Ori to ask quietly, “What’s wrong?”

Nori opens his mouth like he wants to answer. Some of the strands from his gelled hair have fallen out of place, as though his hands have nervously been running through it, and one of his beard’s braids is half undone. Nervously licking his lips, he shuts his mouth and shakes his head, then brings a hand to his face, exhaling loudly. 

He tries again, “I’m wrong!” And it comes out as a shout that makes Ori pull back and Dwalin tense at his side. 

“Sorry, shit, sorry,” Nori swears, back to regular volume, shaking his head. He sighs, then turns abruptly on his heel and stalks back to his bed, the posts chipped away from all the shenanigans he’s gotten up to in this room and the sheets a mess as the bed’s never made. Plopping down onto it, Nori drops his head into his hands. 

Flabbergasted, Ori looks aside at Dwalin. But Dwalin only shrugs, apparently just as lost. And Nori’s Ori’s brother. So he’s the one that walks cautiously over to the bed, sitting down next to Nori to gently ask, “What do you mean?”

“Don’t you see?” Nori half grumbles, half sighs, like it’s obvious and unchangeable. “It’s _me_. I’m going to be a horrible uncle. I’ll ruin your child.”

Confused, Ori blankly asks, “What?”

“I’d kill you first,” Dwalin jumps in, voice amassed with protective ferocity.

“Dwalin!” Ori snaps, shooting a glare at his husband before he turns back to ask Nori again, “What do you mean?”

Nori doesn’t look particularly put out by Dwalin’s outburst, probably because he couldn’t look more put out if he tried. Ori’s not sure he’s ever seen his brother so miserable, which is strange and irksome all at once, and Nori finally groans, “I’m a _wreck_ , Ori. A mess. I’m the only one of the company that’s managed to fall into debt again, I can’t keep a stable job, I’m always off and on with Bofur and half a dozen other dwarves on the side, half the things in my room are stolen from our travels—I can’t even decide what to do with my hair! What kind of influence am I going to be on a _child_? I guess I... I just never thought about it before, but I...” Turning to Ori, looking thoroughly strained, Nori explains, “It isn’t that I’m not happy for you; I _am_. I’m just... I’m worried that I’m going to ruin it for you.” 

“Nori...” is all Ori can mumble at first. He’s shocked. Nori’s always seemed the most secure person in all of Erebor. Ori wouldn’t have thought of any of that, either coming out of Nori’s mouth or on his own. So he reaches over to put a hand on Nori’s and say, gentle and sincere, “You’re brave, Nori. And you’re loyal. You’re lovable. You’re wild and... and exciting! Maybe you’re not as, um... straight-laced... as the rest of us, but you’re a good man. And you’ve been good with children before; we already know that.”

“Not my own relations,” Nori grumbles, though he has perked somewhat from Ori’s praise. Ori keeps that confidence in Nori on his face, hoping it’ll spread 

“I don’t know if I’ll be any good either,” Dwalin jumps in, and now he comes to sit on Nori’s other side. He isn’t the best at heartfelt talks, but it’s clear that he’s trying. “I feel like I’ve spent my life on the battlefield, and now I’m to take care of some tiny, delicate, precious creature that’ll be completely dependant on me. But... I’ve got Balin to guide me. And you have Dori. And we both have Ori, who’s perfect.”

Ori’s cheeks flush, his grin spreading. Dwalin can make him happy too easily—one word and he’s giddy. It takes him a moment to gather himself enough to add, “I’m glad to have you around, Nori. I want my child to be exposed to all different walks of life. Besides, you might not be the stable one, but that child will have twelve other dwarves in their life that will be. And you can be the _fun_ one. Every child needs a fun uncle.”

The meltdown has clearly past. Nori still looks unsure, but he isn’t shaking or sweating so profusely anymore. A moment of silence passes where Dwalin and Ori each hold one of Nori’s hands, and then he asks quietly, “You’re really going to let me see the kid?”

“Of course,” Ori replies without hesitation. Then, after a short pause, teases, “Well, perhaps not alone with you until the child’s older...”

And Nori _laughs_. It’s a beautiful sound that makes Ori grin along with it. Nori laughs far more than the joke is worth, but it seems to help release his tension, so Dwalin and Ori wait it out, until Nori has to wipe at his eyes, because tears are forming at the edges. He sighs, “Shit, I’m acting like Dori.” 

“You’ll balance out,” Ori says fondly. “And the baby will love you both. Just like I do”

Nori nods. Then he lunges sideways, practically tackling Ori down in a hug. “You’ll be an amazing dad,” Nori mumbles, muffled in Ori’s hair. “You both will.”

They’re just untangling when the bedroom door opens. Dori bursts inside, announcing, “Tea and biscuits are on the table!” But as soon as he sees Nori’s watery eyes, he mumbles, “Darn it!” and he starts tearing up again, rushing off. 

The rest of them get up, Nori, true to his old self, following first at the promise of food. 

Dwalin and Ori linger slightly behind, looping their fingers together. They’re going to have one _very_ happy family.


End file.
